Woman held with 18 kg of date rape drug at airport

After nabbing two women with six kg of cocaine on Wednesday, the Air Intelligence Unit (AIU) of the Mumbai airport Customs struck once again when they seized 18 kg of amphetamine, costing over Rs 18 crore, from a South African national.

On the trail: After arresting Herman Lucky, officials are now trying to locate her suppliers. Representation pic

Herman Lucky (32), a South African national, headed to Maputo via Addis Ababa was intercepted by the AIU team headed by Deputy Commissioner Sameer Wankhede at 3 am on Friday morning. The banned substance was concealed inside her clothes in her luggage. "Lucky was intercepted while she was clearing the Customs screening. She was headed to board Ethiopian Airways flight ET 611 for Maputo. The banned substance was hidden in her clothes, inside her bag," said a Customs official.

Initial investigations reveal that Lucky had arrived in the city early this week and was residing in Colaba. "A person who had accompanied Lucky to the airport managed to escape but, we are on the hunt for him. We are questioning her and trying to find her suppliers in the city," the official added.

Officials added that during investigations, it was revealed that Lucky was a single parent and specialised in hospitality. She owns a boutique in South Africa and a company called M&A Catering from the same country sponsored her entire trip.

An Indonesian national by the name of Michael Philip handed over the consignment of amphetamine tablets to her and Lucky revealed that she had come in contact with Philip through her friend Jonathan. "Initially, she refused to accept her crime by saying that the consignment was medicinal but later confessed and provided us with the details," officials further revealed. Lucky also told investigators that she visited India in 2010 to buy clothes.

Lucky is booked under different provisions of Narcotics Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act along with different provisions of Indian Customs Act.

"We have booked her under different provisions and will be further questioning her to know more details," said P M Saleem, Commissioner (Customs), Mumbai airport.

What is Amphetamine?
Amphetamine is a banned drug used recreationally and as a performance enhancer. The drug is also in huge demand at rave parties. Recreational users of amphetamine have coined numerous street names for amphetamine, such as speed and the date-rape drug.u00a0